As I reflect on my time as a 2024 summer intern for A Seat at the Piano, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy and appreciation. With this experience being so incredible, you might be surprised to learn about my musical background. In the 4th grade, I began playing the violin and to this day, it has remained my predominant instrument. With piano works being the primary focus for this organization, I was initially concerned that my value might be limited compared to someone with a stronger background in piano. Thankfully, I was able to view this situation through a different lens. As a Music Theory and Composition: Screen Scoring major at New York University, my expertise lies not only in piano works, but also chamber, orchestral pieces, and more. While I have a deep appreciation for traditional concert repertoire, my engagement with film scores has significantly broadened my musical perspective. I believe that this type of music has the power to attract new audiences to classical music and today I’d like to introduce you to a musician who had that impact on me.
When I think of a talented and multifaceted artist, I think of Hiroyuki Sawano. Television shows, movies, video games, you name it, Sawano has written music for it. The Japanese composer has amassed such a following that despite the absence of official publications, his music is still easily accessible due to his fans transcribing his work at no cost. This widespread acclaim is a testament to his long-standing dedication to music which began early on in his life. The path that would lead this Tokyo native to becoming a composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer, all began in elementary school when Sawano started playing the piano. When you hear that someone began playing the piano at a young age, you typically think their guardian inspired them to take lessons, or they were influenced by iconic classical repertoire, but that wasn’t necessarily the case for Sawano. Instead of classical music or soundtracks being his motivation for learning this instrument, it was pop music! In the fourth grade, the young Japanese composer started listening to Japanese singer-songwriter: Aska, whose influence left a lasting effect on him. It inspired Sawano and helped him envision a future where music was the focal point.
As time went on and Sawano continued his musical journey, his ambitions began to solidify into a more tangible path. After his first year of high school, Sawano, like many musicians, decided to have a difficult conversation with his parents. During this interaction, the Japanese composer revealed that he wanted to become a professional musician. To his surprise, his parents were supportive, though somewhat cautiously. In response to his aspirations, Sawano’s parents arranged for him to take composition lessons with Nobuchika Tsuboi, a contemporary composer and acquaintance of his father. Although this man was dedicated to his craft, he wasn’t living lavishly. This decision to pair these two together, caused Sawano to slightly question his parent’s motives. Perhaps his guardians set up these lessons to subtly expose the potentially bleak financial reality that those who follow this path commonly face. Despite any doubts, Sawano fully accepted these lessons and progressed because of it.
Sawano's transition towards film composition was influenced by the universally beloved (in my opinion) Studio Ghibli films. While in high school, Sawano visited a friend’s house and was introduced to the soundtrack for the movie Whisper of the Heart. After enjoying the film’s music, Sawano began exploring more of these scores, including his younger sister’s soundtrack of Kiki’s Delivery Service, by the remarkable Joe Hisaishi. These scores, along with the works of composers like Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer, sparked a deep fascination in Sawano and fueled his desire to learn more. After making his music teacher aware of this newfound interest, Tsuboi began teaching Sawano orchestration.
By the end of Sawano's high school career, music had consumed his life! He was bursting out the seams to pursue the various avenues that called to him. Although writing for piano came naturally to Sawano, he was also deeply interested in composing for visual media as well as songwriting. To satisfy all of these desires, after graduating from high school, Sawano attended a vocational school for composition. The rest is history! From 2004 to present day, Sawano has been writing incredible music for the masses to indulge in. It is hard to describe the exact genre the composer falls in. This is because he doesn’t easily align with any! Classical, rock, jazz, electronic, and more. Sawano does not rely on a singular genre for his musical expression; he combines these categories to create his art.
Along with instrumental music, Sawano still holds songwriting to a high regard. In fact, many of the pieces within his soundtracks include lyrics. He often displays his trilingual abilities by writing songs in his native language as well as English and German. To Sawano, groove and sound are extremely important factors in his music, and he believes English is a language that expresses that very well. Consequently, when writing lyrics, he predominantly has English words in mind. Sawano’s dedication to writing songs is so strong that he even created a 2nd alias (“SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]”) to release music that focuses on vocal pieces. Under this name, Sawano has written and produced 6 albums with various Japanese artists as lead vocalists.
What really put Sawano on the map was his scores for television shows. His extensive work on numerous television dramas and anime has rightfully earned him several accolades, including a plethora of Newtype Anime Awards and Tokyo Anime Awards. One show in particular that caught my attention was Attack on Titan. This decade-long running tv show was scored by Sawano and truly evolved my perspective on music. Music has been a part of my life since I was a young child, but it was only until I listened to this score that I started to consider this field as a career. Although this soundtrack features many large and electronic sounds, the pieces I want to highlight are a few of Sawano’s solo piano works. Pieces like the heartfelt “Omake-Pfadlib”, or the adventurous “Shingeki Pf - Medley 20130629 Kyojin”, or the beautiful “Aots2m #3” and “Aots2m #4”, are all featured on this television show and bring significant depth to the story.
I’m sure you have noticed the unique way Sawano titles his tracks. At first glance it may seem peculiar, but there are multiple reasons behind this decision. When writing music for pictures, the ultimate goal is to support and amplify the visuals that are on screen. Although this is true, Sawano also wants his music to be able to live on its own. The Japanese composer prefers to give his audience the opportunity to experience his music independently, allowing them to form their own emotional responses to the art. By making the title of the piece explicitly connected to the corresponding media, the name starts to take away this freedom from the listeners, and solely attaches the music to the image. As a result, unlike many American multimedia composers, several of Sawano’s titles lack any connection to its particular cue. Additionally, these titles do have a meaning. The word “Omake” in Japanese means “bonus”. “Pf” refers to the piano or formally known as the pianoforte, and “Adlib” is a reference for improvisation. The numbers in the title “Shingeki Pf - Medley 20130629 Kyojin” refer to what many people believe to be the date in which the piece was mastered. The title “Aots2m #3” is a culmination of multiple meanings. This title contains an abbreviation of the television show’s name, an indication of what season the show is in, and the number of the track. As you can see, instead of naming these pieces directly for picture, Sawano takes a more literal approach when giving his works a title.
An added bonus of these pieces being used for a larger entity like visual media, is that audiences get to hear variations of these works with different instrumentation. I can hear these pieces not only for solo piano, but also for a duet with cello or even a full orchestra. Despite his versatility, Sawano still holds true to his instrumental roots. Listeners can almost guarantee that they will hear at least one piano solo on each Sawano produced soundtrack. In fact, Sawano even released a full solo piano album in 2021.
Regardless of the style, when one hears a Sawano piece, they know it is a Sawano piece.
Whether it's the epic sound from a large orchestra, the luscious melodies of the piano, or the haunting tones from choirs, Sawano’s music is uniquely his. Far from being a one-dimensional artist, Hiroyuki effortlessly excels across multiple genres. His lifelong appreciation for pop music has inspired his wide range of creations, from remarkable solo piano pieces to chamber music, orchestral works and vocal compositions, resulting in a diverse body of work that has captivated fans around the world, including myself! In fact, his music is what inspired me to apply and pursue my current degree in NYU’s Screen Scoring department.
I have learned so much through my internship with A Seat at the Piano. This organization seeks to increase the visibility of marginalized composers and I believe the impact of this work should not go unnoticed. By broadening public knowledge of these artists, not only are we supporting them, we are potentially changing the lives of younger underrepresented musicians.
I know how it feels to be a musician of color and not see yourself represented in your environment at all. This is an incredibly lonely experience that can easily lead to one abandoning their passion. I would have loved to have access to ASAP’s database when I was younger. The impact it would have had on me is impossible to fully grasp. Seeing your identity represented and respected in any space, has the power to inspire even mere spectators to embark on their wildest dreams. It is an absolute honor to say that I have played a small role in creating the change that is so needed in our world of music. This internship has given me so much, and as my parting gift, I hope I am able to return the favor by introducing you to this outstanding artist.
If you’re interested in checking out any of the pieces I listed above or want to learn more about Hiroyuki Sawano, feel free to use our database to listen and explore our diverse and amazing world of music!
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